1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to the integrated cooling and handling of pluggable electronic components, and in particular to the improved cooling and latching of a pluggable processor cartridge. Still more particularly, the invention relates to an improved system for enhancing the cooling and rapid release/retention of a pluggable processor cartridge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In computer equipment, the need to upgrade and/or replace electrical components is more prevalent than ever. Many different solutions for installing new components or removing existing components are known in the prior art. However, not all devices or methods allow technicians to perform the work efficiently and reliably. This is particularly true for components that require fasteners such as screws for mounting purposes, or those that require latching or retention mechanisms for enhanced retention capability. Moreover, some new components are not compatible with the existing retention mechanisms that were used with the previous components that they are replacing.
This problem is exacerbated by the enhanced cooling needs of today's high speed computer processors. Processor manufacturers now require computer manufacturing companies to accommodate lower junction temperatures while allowing for greater power dissipation. These requirements demand enhanced thermal design solutions. To maintain adequate heat sink efficiencies, some cooling systems need to incorporate aggressive "passive" and/or "active" cooling solutions. Passive heat sinks allow airflow generated external to the heat sink to pass over the heat sink to permit redundant cooling. Some computer systems that do not require cooling redundancy may require more active heat sink cooling. These advanced thermal design solutions are very difficult if not impossible to incorporate into current retention mechanism designs. Thus, a need exists for an improved system for reliably installing and removing an electrical component, such as a processor, with a retention mechanism that is capable of incorporating an enhanced cooling system.